Who Is Maren Morris? 5 Things You Need To KnowLearn more about the country singer, who will perform at 11th Annual ACM Honors on Friday, Sept. 15.

Posted
on Sep 1, 2017 12:00pm

At just 27, Maren Morris has managed to shake up the country world with her crafty lyricism, hook-heavy jams, and unapologetically brazen attitude. Propelled by songs like "80s Mercedes" and "My Church," Morris' debut album, Hero, earned her a host of accolades and award nominations, not to mention a bevy of enthusiastic fans.

It's no wonder the Texas singer has been selected to perform and present at the 11th Annual ACM Honors, airing on Friday, Sept. 15 at 9/8c on CBS and CBS All Access. She has all the potential of an icon-in-the-making, so get familiar with her with these five need-to-know facts.

1. She was turned down by multiple singing competition shows.
Like a lot of hopeful singers, Morris originally took her talents to the reality competition circuit, auditioning for two wildly popular singing competition shows; but, sadly, she was turned down by both.

However, it turns out those particular rejections didn't slow her down and didn't stop Morris from breaking into the country-music scene.

In a sweet bit of irony, in 2016, things came full circle when contestants from both shows sang her hit "My Church" for the judges.

2. "My Church" was the song that changed her life.
Though she had a decade of performance experience behind her, Morris didn't originally intend to be a country singer.

She moved to Nashville to pursue songwriting, but was repeatedly told her songs sounded so personal, they were meant for her to sing herself.

She told NPR that "My Church" was the push she needed to embrace her destiny as a headlining act, saying, "The second that song was done and we were listening back to it, the first thought in my mind was, 'Wow, they were right. I'm not sending this to anybody.'"

3. She's one-half of a country-music power couple.
Morris' fiance is Ryan Hurd, a singer/songwriter who penned Blake Shelton's "Lonely Tonight," among other hits.

He and Morris met during a songwriting session in 2013, where they ended up collaborating on what would eventually become Tim McGraw's hit "Last Turn Home."

Then, in 2016, they started dating. Fans who saw Morris on her Hero headlining tour probably even saw the singer's beau, who opened for her in venues across the country.

4. She's a huge pop-music fan.
Along with country greats like Dixie Chicks and Sheryl Crow, Morris constantly name-checks Britney Spears, Spice Girls, and other iconic pop acts as inspiration, which is hardly a surprise once you listen to Hero, because the debut is packed with radio-ready jams boasting instantly catchy hooks.